1. Technical Field
The present disclosure is directed to electrosurgical generators, and, more particularly, to a control system for electrosurgical generators used for tissue sealing and division procedures.
2. Background of Related Art
Electrosurgical generators are employed by surgeons in conjunction with electrosurgical instruments to perform a variety of surgical procedures including tissue division. An electrosurgical generator generates and modulates electrosurgical energy which is applied to the tissue by an electrosurgical instrument. Electrosurgical instruments may be either monopolar or bipolar and may be configured for open or endoscopic procedures.
In monopolar electrosurgery, a source or active electrode delivers radio frequency energy from the electrosurgical generator to the tissue and a return electrode carries the current back to the generator. In monopolar electrosurgery, the source electrode is typically part of the surgical instrument held by the surgeon and applied to the tissue to be treated.
Bipolar electrosurgery is conventionally practiced using electrosurgical forceps-type device, where the active and return electrodes are housed within opposing forceps' jaws. The return electrode is placed in close proximity to the active (e.g., current supplying) electrode such that an electrical circuit is formed between the two electrodes (e.g., electrosurgical forceps). In this manner, the applied electrical current is limited to the body tissue positioned between the electrodes.
Typically and particularly with respect to endoscopic electrosurgical procedures, once a vessel is sealed, the surgeon has to remove the sealing instrument from the operative site, substitute a new instrument through a cannula and accurately sever the vessel along the newly formed tissue seal. This additional step may be both time consuming and may contribute to imprecise separation of tissue along the sealing line due to the misalignment or misplacement of the severing instrument along the center of the tissue seal.
Currently available electrosurgical systems may include an electrode assembly that enables a surgeon to both seal the tissue and subsequently separate the tissue along the tissue seal without re-grasping the tissue or removing the instrument from the operating cavity. However, use of this technique requires the surgeon to activate the generator (e.g., via a footswitch) twice, once to seal the tissue and again to divide the tissue.